The Dragon and the Weasel
by Blackwingedangel37
Summary: Harry reflects on Ron's disappearance and runs into some rather interesting people.
1. Chapter One

_I have no idea if anyone is still following this story (I doubt it) but I decided to do some revision on it in order to fix the flow a bit and maybe get some inspiration for some new chapters (hopefully). You might want to read through the updated chapters (especially the second one!) because there are some changes in it. _

_Oh, and I have no idea if you still read this story, Deftonsita, but I give you props for having an Arthur Pendragon icon :]_

* * *

Harry clutched his bag against his chest as he exited the bakery. The warmth radiating off the freshly baked pastries inside the bag helped him to brave the bitter winter air as he made his way back home.

It had been fifteen years since he had defeated Voldemort and a great deal had happened over that space of time. He had gotten married to Ginny and they had three wonderful children; two boys, James and Albus, and one little girl named Lily.

Harry would have been completely happy if it were not for one problem.

Ron was missing.

The last time he had been seen was at Harry and Ginny's wedding. Harry had made sure that the first best friend he had ever had was his best man for the ceremony, and Ron had seemed so happy as he stood there watching the couple exchange their vows.

But at the reception later on, Harry caught sight of Ron standing a little ways off from everyone else, watching the happy crowds of people dancing and socializing, with a sad expression on his face. He had hurried over to ask Ron if he was alright, but his friend had just laughed at him. "Why would I look sad?" Ron asked. "This has got to be the celebration of the century, mate. Are you sure you're not start to see things?" The happy expression didn't quite reach his eyes, however, and Harry remained unconvinced.

He had meant to press the matter, but was swept away by Auntie Muriel, who wanted to tell him what was expected of him now that he was officially part of the Weasley family, before he could. He decided that he would have to corner Ron the next morning and insist that he reveal what was wrong.

But Ron hadn't been there the next morning, or the morning after that.

They tried to convince themselves that Ron had just wandered off somewhere and would soon return. It wasn't until a week passed by without any word from him that they began to grow nervous.

They had launched a full scale search for him all over the continent, and various others as well, but there wasn't a trace of the red head anywhere. The search had finally been called off after a year of cold trails and failed evidence.

Hermione eventually managed to forget about the boy that she had once thought she would marry and gave into the charms of the Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum. Viktor proposed to her two years into the relationship and after little more than a year together they had twin boys named Hugo and Ronald, who had lovingly been nicknamed Ronnie.

There was still a small part of each of them that still hoped that Ron would pop up at the Burrow on some holiday when the extended family was altogether, with a perfect excuse as to where he had been. This only lead to a greater sense of disappointment, however, when the boy still didn't appear.

Harry shook his head with a sigh and tried to turn his thoughts towards more cheerful things than his missing best friend.

He was soon jolted out of thoughts altogether when something small and rather hard collided with his legs. He looked down to discover that there was a girl that couldn't be more than seven years old standing in front of him. She was utterly adorable in that way that many young children were with brilliant red hair that cascaded over her shoulders in silky waves and big, round eyes the color of which reminded him of the sky on a clear summer's day.

What shocked him the most, though, was how much the girl reminded him of Ron Weasley. The only difference he could find between them was that her tiny freckled nose was jutted out into a point.

"Annie!"

Harry looked up to see a girl running over to him at such a speed that she was out of breath by the time she reached him. She seemed to be around thirteen and she completely ignored Harry as she bent down before the younger girl, speaking to her in a scolding tone.

"Anne, why did you run off like that?" She demanded.

The little girl, who Harry guessed must have been named Annie, rolled her shoulders in an innocent manner. "I saw something," She said.

"And _what_ exactly did you see?" The other girl asked. She cocked an eyebrow at Annie as the little girl pointed over in the direction of Harry. Then she followed the track of the finger and her eyes widened in alarm.

And hers were not the only ones.

The girl was a near identical copy of Draco Malfoy! There was no way for Harry not to notice it. Her hair was the same silvery blond as Malfoy's, although hers had been grown down to her waist and tied back into a braid with a black ribbon. The eyes that were fixed on his own were the same murky blue ones that had glared at him throughout all of his life at Hogwarts. She even had the same lean frame and skin as pale as the snow that fell around them.

And yet, Harry noted that she lacked the pointed features that his childhood nemesis had. She had face that was like a long, rounded oval and her slender nose had a soft little bump at the end just like…

_Ron._

The girl began to shift uncomfortably with a nervous expression on her face. "Um…I'm sorry my little sister ran into you, sir," She muttered. "She just got away from me. It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't…" Harry began, but he trailed off with a startled expression as the girl suddenly leapt to her feet and grabbed her sister's hand.

"Goodbye!" The girl said. Then she rushed off, leaving a stunned Harry behind.

* * *

_Le Lieu Cachant_, or "The Hiding Place" when translated, was one of the most guarded secrets of London. It was a secret place if you knew of its existence and weren't a Muggle.

Therefore, Gabrielle was fortunate to have both of these things covered.

She yanked her wand from the pocket of her winter coat and tapped it against the middle of the wine covered wall in front of her, causing the face of a rather regal woman to appear from the brick a few moments later.

"Password?" A haughty female voice demanded.

"Magic peut être la plus grande illusion," Gabrielle replied.

"Correct," The face said. "You may enter."

The wall swung back to reveal a narrow street with enormous, almost mansion like houses, lining its sides.

Gabrielle and Annie rushed down the street as the wall crashed shut behind them, not stopping until they reached the fourteenth house on the block.

It was one of those houses that seemed to give off a cozy feel even from the outside. It had been painted with a warm burgundy shade and the door was gone over in a creamy white color. There was a golden plaque stuck to the door, on which someone had engraved the words, "Malfoy Residence," and if you squinted at the words, you could make out where someone had squeezed in "and Weasley," beneath them.

The two girls rushed up the front steps, throwing open the door so that they could rush inside and slam the door shut behind them.

They scrambled out of their warm winter clothes in the spacious front hall that had a floor of black marble interwoven with white that was kept so polished it seemed to shine like a mirror. The walls that surrounded them had been fashioned from sturdy white stone that had pillars with chiseled vines creeping up them placed at strategic places around the room.

The steps that lead to the upstairs wound up the sides of the wall then met to form a small landing. On the wall behind this landing four doors were clearly visible and all had little golden plaques, like the one on the front door, each barring a different name.

From left to right, the names read: Scorpius Fred Malfoy, Severus Lupin Malfoy, Gabrielle Molly Malfoy, and Annie Narcissa Malfoy.

All of a sudden, the second door opened to reveal a tall, gangly fifteen year old boy, who walked over to the landing and leaned against its wrought iron railing as he looked down at the two girls. His flaming red hair was a bunch of thick, unruly curls that fell down to his shoulders and the eyes that gazed down at the girls were a murky shade of blue. He had the same face as Gabrielle, but his broad shoulders and large frame were the exact opposite of her thin, narrow body. His features were pointed than hers as well, more like Annie, with the smattering of freckles that the little girl had.

"Hey, I know I told you to hurry back," Scorpius called down, "but that mean to run around like had a Dementor after you. What's wrong?"

"We met Harry Potter!" Gabrielle blurted out.

Scorpius's eyes widened in an instant. "You _what_?!" He exclaimed.

"You heard me!" Gabrielle said. "We met _Harry Potter_!"

As she said this, one of the doors behind Scorpius opened, and another boy came out to join him on the railing.

The boy was an inch or so taller than Scorpius, but he was not in the least bit gangly. His silvery blond hair seemed rather ruffled and it fell down into his piercing sky blue eyes like strands of fine silk. He had the same soft, rounded features as Gabrielle, giving him an almost feminine appearance.

"Did I hear right?" Severus asked. "You actually managed to meet Harry Potter?"

"Yeah!" Annie exclaimed. "And he was just like Mum told us!"

"I wish I could have met him," Scorpius grumbled.

"No, you don't!" Gabrielle shot back. "It was _so_ awkward! He wouldn't stop looking at me!"

"It was probably because you look too much like Dad," Severus said.

"I know," Gabrielle said. "It must have been an even bigger shock for him to see Anne since she looks almost exactly like Mum?"

"What was a bigger shock for who?"

A man of around thirty-five emerged from the room on the left of the front hall and he obviously had to be related to the children with his bright red hair, sky blue eyes, large height, and soft, round features.

This was the man that had been missing from the life of Harry Potter for fifteen years.

It was Ron Weasley.

"Mum, where's Dad?" Gabrielle asked.

"Why?" Ron gave his daughter a suspicious look. "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing bad," Gabrielle said quickly.

A cool, drawling voice came from behind Ron as a man the same age walked out from behind him. "Somehow I doubt that." Draco Malfoy turned his misty blue eyes over towards Gabrielle.

"No really." Gabrielle fidgeted with the end of her braid for a few moments before continuing. "We just…erm…bumped into Harry Potter." She winced when both her parents stiffened at what she said.

Ron was the first to recover from the shock. "You did what?"

Gabrielle sighed and repeated what she had said before. "We bumped into Harry Potter. Or rather Annie ran away from me because she saw him and then ran straight into him."

Draco looked over at his youngest daughter with raised eyebrows. "You ran over to him?" It seemed she really had inherited the combined daring of her two fathers.

"I wanted to see him," Annie said. "Mummy and you have told us all about him and the others, but we've never gotten a chance to see any of them before."

Ron let out a sigh of his own and pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke. "I suppose that's fair," he said. "Just don't go out searching for them, alright?" His request was answered by groans from all four of the children.

"Aw, come on, Mum," Scorpius said. "You can't just go on acting like we don't exist forever."

"Maybe not forever," Ron said, "but I can do it for a few more years."

Scorpius rolled his eyes at his mother. "Fine," He said. "Just don't make us wait too long, alright?"

"Alright," Ron agreed. "But now that the girls are back with the pastries, why don't we eat?"

The affect was instantaneous.

Scorpius rushed down the steps, skidding to a halt before Gabrielle. "In all the commotion I completely forgot!" He said. "Did you get me what I wanted?"

"You mean about half the bakery?" Gabrielle said, rolling her eyes. "If so then that would be a yes."

"Thank you!" Scorpius grabbed the bags from her before running off towards the dining room.

"Hey, Scorpius, get back here!" Gabrielle cried, racing after her brother. "I want some of those too!"

Severus made his way down the steps at a much slower gait than his brother and offered his hand to his youngest sister. "Come on, Annie. We'd better hurry or we won't get anything at all."

"No way!" Annie cried. "I want some too!" She grabbed hold of Severus's hand and raced off with him in the direction of the dining room.

Draco glanced over at Ron with a grin. "We certainly do have an interesting household," He said.

"I think you mean chaotic," Ron snorted, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hm…that might be true," Draco said, "but I like it that way."

Ron nodded in agreement with a small smile on his face.

"So, should we go?" Draco asked. "If we don't then I think all we'll be left with are the crumbs." He turned towards the dining room, but Ron reached out and grabbed onto his wrist. Draco turned around with a curious expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking," Ron said, "maybe Scorpius was right. Maybe we _should_ finally tell everyone."

Draco looked at him in surprise for a few seconds then his face softened and he laid a hand over the one on his wrist. "Are you sure?" He asked. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for."

"No, I'm ready," Ron said. "I'm tired of hiding. I want everyone to know how much I love you and what you've given me."

Affection darted through Draco's eyes for a second before his lips curled into his trademark smirk. "Good because I was getting pretty sick of it too."

Ron shook his head in exasperation with a grin. "Figures," he said. "Not let's go tell your lovely children the good news."

Draco let out a snort at this. "If your children are lovely than Voldemort is good," He said.

"True," Ron chuckled, "but I'm glad we have them."

A rare look of insecurity came onto Draco's face. "Even though the twins weren't planned and you wound up having to leave everything else behind just for me?"

Ron gave his husband a soft smile and leaned into to give him a kiss on the nose. "Even then. Now let's go tell our little devils the good news and hope that they left us something more than crumbs."

* * *

_Aw, I had forgotten how much I love these kids. They're so much fun to write about!_

_A small note: The password that Gabrielle uses to get into __Le Lieu Cachant is a slightly twisted Javan quote that translates from French into, "Magic maybe the greatest illusion."_

_Here's the orginal quote if anyone is interested: "Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes...just be an illusion."_


	2. Chapter Two

The clock had just struck then, and Arthur and Molly Weasley were just about to head up to bed when there was a sudden knock at the door, making them exchange curious looks.

"Who do you think it is?" Molly asked. "Harry or Ginny?"

"No, they know better to come at this time," Arthur said, "and they would have used the Floo if it was an emergency. We had better go see who it is."

Molly nodded, following her husband to the door, which he opened once she was at his side.

What stood on the other side of the door, however, gave them the shock of their lives.

After all, the last thing that they expected to see was Draco Malfoy standing there on their front step with none other but their long lost son at his side.

Molly was the first to recover and she dove at Ron, crying out his name as she gathered him up into her arms.

Ron returned the hug with just as much eagerness, pressing his face against his mother's shoulder. "Hi, Mum," He murmured.

A few minutes later, Molly finally released her son to allow him to hug his father as well and it wasn't until Arthur had released him that she switched modes from overjoyed mother to furious mother.

"Where have you been!" She shouted. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been? We searched every corner of the world for you, but there was nothing! _Nothing_! There was hardly even a trace to follow!"

Ron flinched with every harsh word she spoke, for each of them only served to drive the knife into his heart further.

"I'm sorry, Mum," He mumbled, "but it was something that I had to do."

Molly folded her arms across her chest and fixed him with her fiercest glare. "Oh, so you _had_ to do it then," She said. "I guess that just makes it all better then, doesn't it?"

As Ron's pain began to become apparent on his face, Draco reach out to take his hand while casting a glare of his own over at Molly. He was liking this women less by the second, but he knew he had to keep his temper under control for Ron's sake.

But that didn't mean he couldn't defend Ron. After all, it had been his fault that Ron had had to leave in the first place. If Molly wanted to place the blame on someone than it should be on him, not Ron.

"Excuse me," Draco snapped. "I would appreciate it greatly if you would stop yelling at my husband."

Ron winced as all the color seemed to drain from his parents' faces as they seemed to resemble some kind of demented fish. "Draco, we weren't suppose to tell them that yet!" He hissed.

"Well it got them to shut up didn't it?" Draco shrugged.

Ron rolled his eyes, knowing that trying to argue with his husband would get him nowhere. Besides, he had other things to focus on now, like his mother managing to recover from her shock long enough to yell at him again.

Ron let out a sigh. "It's a long story," He said, "so I'll explain it inside once you've called everyone else here please."

Molly opened her mouth, no doubt to refuse to agree until they explained, but Arthur laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, son," He said.

Ron gave his father a grateful smile. "Thanks, Dad," He said. "I promise it will all make sense soon."

* * *

Harry and Ginny apparated to the Burrow the instant they got the news and rushed inside the house to find Hermione there.

"Viktor is at home watching the boys," She said. She paused, eyes shining with hope. "Did you get the same news?" Her hands flew to her mouth when the other two nodded.

The three of them nearly ran into the living room, afraid that this was some sort of cruel dream that they would awaken from at any minute.

But it was no dream and what had been told to them by a frantic Molly Weasley as actually true, making them almost forget to breathe when they saw it for themselves.

Ron gave them a smile when they burst into the living room. "Hi, guys," He said. "Long time no see, eh?"

Hermione didn't say anything in response and ran towards him with tears in her eyes, throwing her arms around him. Ginny followed after her to do the same while Harry remained where he was simply watching.

Ron wrapped his arms around both of the girls, whispering continually, "I missed you too… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…"

The girls eventually pulled away, wiping their eyes before giving Ron two hard slaps over the head.

Ron rubbed his head with a wince. "I deserved those," He said.

"You defiantly did!" Ginny scowled. "Running away like that on the day after my bloody wedding! Where the hell have you been?"

"And why is _he_ here?" Hermione demanded, pointing over at Draco.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm here, Granger, because Ron is my—"

But before any of them could find out what Ron was suppose to be to Draco, Ron gave a sharp jab to the ribs with his elbow.

"Not yet," He admonished.

Draco thrust his bottom lip out into something that looked eerily like a pout to the other onlookers but said nothing.

"Anyway," Ron said, "I know all of you have been wondering where I was and I'm sorry for putting you through so much pain, but there was a good reason for it I promise. I'll explain it to you all just as soon as you sit down."

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione scurried into the available chairs before turning their full attention to Ron.

Ron took a deep breath to ready himself before he began.

"Well, it all began when Draco and I started dating…"

The sentence had exactly the effect that he knew it would have. Everyone gaped at him in astonishment.

"You dated _Malfoy_?" Harry spurted.

"Yeah," Ron said, "and we knew that none of you would approve of our relationship. Or, more that no one would approve of it actually. We kept our relationship a secret and everything was going quite well until a few weeks before Harry and Ginny's wedding."

"Why?" Ginny asked. "What happened?"

Ron wrung his hands together, knowing that this was going to be the hardest part. He directed his eyes at the small table in the middle of the floor as he spoke his next words. "I got pregnant."

He knew what their expressions looked like without even having to look at them.

Hermione's voice, high and shrill, was the first to cut through the air.

"You got _pregnant_?"

"Yeah, I did," Ron said.

"But how is that possible?" Harry said. "You're a guy!"

"It's possible for males to carry children in the Wizarding World, Potter," Draco said.

Harry's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something to Draco, but Ginny laid a hand on his shoulder to silence him. Her eyes were locked on her brother.

"So that's why you left?" Ginny asked. "Because you got pregnant?"

Ron nodded, bringing his eyes away from the table. "I thought that Draco would leave me when he found out, but he didn't." He let out a soft burst of laughter. "He actually proposed to me that day."

"So, you two are…" Molly trailed off, her eyes darting between the two men before her.

"Officially married, yes, Mum." Ron held up his hand as proof, waggling his finger so that the gold band there, inlaid with diamonds and rubies, sparkled in the lamplight.

"And when did this wedding take place?" Molly asked.

"A few days after Ginny's, actually," Ron said. "I'm sorry for not inviting any of you, but it was still supposed to be a secret at that time."

"I understand," Molly sniffed. She glanced over at Draco with a hint of a smirk at the corner of her mouth. "I suppose your parents failed to attend, as well?"

"Oh, no," Draco said. "Mother insisted on coming and she eventually managed to persuade Father to come along too. She's always had a soft spot for Ron and he's even started to grow on my father too, although I think that might be due to the grandchildren." He couldn't withhold a smirk at the expression this response got from Molly.

Ron rubbed at his temples with a groan. "_Anyway_," He said, "Draco wanted to runaway right away, but I refused because I wanted to stay for Ginny and Harry's wedding. He finally agreed, though—"

"Thanks to some persuasion," Draco said, winking at his husband.

Ron narrowed his eyes at him and gave him a swift kick to the shin before continuing. "Like I said, we got married a little after Harry and Ginny's wedding moved into_ Le Lieu Cachant_ or "The Hiding Place", as it means in French. It wasn't long after that that the twins arrived. The eldest is Severus Lupin Malfoy and the youngest is Scorpius Fred Malfoy. The two of them are fifteen now. Then there are our two girls, Gabrielle Malfoy, who's thirteen, and Annie Narcissa Malfoy, who's our youngest at seven."

Recognition dawned on Harry's face when he heard about the girls. "I met them, didn't I?" He asked.

"Yep," Ron said. "They were ecstatic to have gotten the chance to meet you."

"All of our children want to meet you, actually," Draco said. He rolled his eyes. "I, personally, can't see the appeal."

Hermione turned towards Ron, ignoring Draco's statement. "Would it be alright for us to meet them?" She said. "It would be so nice to introduce them to my boys."

"Your boys?" Ron said.

A small smile spread across Hermione's mouth. "I'm married to Viktor Krum now, Ron," She said, "with twin boys of my own, Hugo and Ronald, although we all call him Ronnie."

"Ronald?" Ron said. "You named your son after…" He trailed off, his throat thick with emotion. "Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione's eyes sparkled as her smile widened. "You're welcome, Ron," She said.

"So, when are we going to be allowed to meet these children of yours?" Molly asked. "I think I have the right to see my grandchildren." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Especially, when it seems that the _Malfoys'_ get to see them whenever they want."

Ron resisted the urge to wince at her tone. He should have known that this would be a sore spot with her. "Actually, we already told them that they could come see you," He said. "They nearly bounced off the walls they were so excited." He felt better when his mother beamed after hearing this.

"Oh, I can hardly wait to meet them!" She gushed. "You should bring them over first thing tomorrow. I can come over to your home later on and check if its suitable."

"Oh, it's definitely suitable, Mum," Ron said. _It should be considering Draco insisted on buying us a mini _mansion_ to live in._

"We'll bring our kids over tomorrow then," Ginny said. She clapped her hands together with an enormous grin. "Oh, they're going to be so excited!"

"So, wait, you really don't mind?" Ron asked.

"Mind what?" Ginny asked, giving him a confused look.

"That I'm with Draco," Ron said.

Molly let out a sigh and rose from her chair to envelope her son in her arms. "Ron," She said, "you're my son and I will always love you no matter what choices you make with your life. So, even though your partner might have come as a bit of a shock, he seems to make you happy and that is exactly what I have always wanted for you."

"Thanks, Mum," Ron grinned.

"You're welcome, dear," Molly replied, releasing him with a kiss on the top of his head.

"And the rest of you?" Ron asked.

"I'm with your mother on this one," Arthur smiled.

"Me too," Hermione agreed.

"It's alright by me," Ginny said. She cast a glare over at Draco, that reminded the boy in question far too much of her mother. "But you better not hurt him Malfoy."

"Don't worry," Draco said, "the last I want is for the whole Weasley clan to descend its wrath upon me. There are way too many of you; you would totally outnumber me."

Ron gave him a slap upside the head for the last comment before turning to Harry, who sighed.

"There's a part of me that wishes it wasn't Malfoy," He said, "but as long as your happy with him it's alright by me."

Ron beamed at him. "Thanks, mate," He said. "I am."

* * *

_I realized as I was writing this that Ron and Draco have a rather abusive relationship, judging by how many times Ron whaps Draco when he's snarky-laughs-. _

_In regards to the changes with Hermione, I thought that she deserved to have a happy ending and I can't wait to write about some of my plans for her twins. _

_To describe Ron's relationship with Draco's parents a little better: Narcissa basically thinks that Ron is a little sweetheart so she aboslutely adores him and has basically convinced her husband to feel the same way. Lucius's feelings for Ron were also rather cushioned by the four grandchildren he received later, who have wrapped around their little fingers._


	3. Chapter Three

_I know that this is far too short, but I wanted to at least give you all something for your long wait. This is the first part of the chapter that I've been trying to write. I've been working on it whenever I can but its been really hard to keep up with my stories since my lap top died. I will hopefully be getting a new one around March 1st but until then I will try to complete my work as quickly as possible. _

_Thank you for your patience..._

* * *

Scorpius leaned back against the pillows that he had propped up at the head of his twin's bed as he watched Severus, who sat at the foot of the bed, putting the finishing touches on his latest sketch. "So…it's off to the grandparents' place tomorrow." Severus hummed out a noncommittal noise as his brother went on. "Pretty much all of our cousins are supposed to be there I think." Severus wasn't able to hide the tension in his frame this time and Scorpius sighed.

The two of them were fraternal twins so their features weren't the same, but their differences didn't stop there. Scorpius was the constant extrovert—outgoing with an attitude that was loud and brash. Severus, on the other hand, was far more introverted with a cautious approach to new people and a quiet, gentle manner. They were complimentary to each other, providing one another with a sense of balance and understanding.

But it was times like these that their differences caused problems.

Scorpius moved forward so that he could lay a hand on his twin's shoulder. "It will be alright, you know," He said.

Severus glanced over at Scorpius through the fringe of his bangs. "And what if it doesn't go right?" He asked. He sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of his lower lip. "What if they find out that I'm a…" He trailed off as the grip on his shoulder tightened.

"Don't call yourself that," Scorpius ground out through gritted teeth. "What happened was my fault, not yours."

Severus bit down harder on his lip and laid his hand over the one on his shoulder. "You shouldn't blame yourself," He murmured. "There wasn't anything that you could have done to stop it from happening."

"But it was my—" Scorpius was cut off by a sharp flick of fingers between his eyebrows. "You take after Mum too much," He remarked, remembering the various whaps that their father would receive when he was too snarky.

Severus let out a snort, knowing what he was referring to. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Scorpius smiled, glad that he had managed to distract his twin from his fears. "So, what are you working on?" He asked. He tapped the pad of paper that was propped on Severus's lap. "A scene from one of your dreams?"

Severus had been born with the gift of foresight so it was quite common for him to draw something he had seen in a dream.

"Yeah," Severus said. He tilted his head to the side with a thoughtful expression as he looked at the drawing. "I think its suppose to be the Burrow."

Scorpius eyed the mismatched looking house with a slight smile. "I rather like it," He said. "What kind of reading did you get off of it?"

"It was really nice," Severus replied. "It was like it gave off these waves of warmth that made you feel absolutely cozy and there was this sense of complete safety, like you could just tell that if you were allowed inside you would be protected from all harm." He paused for a moment, eyes twinkling as he recalled what he had felt. "It felt exactly like a real home should."

Scorpius chuckled, flopping back down onto the pillows behind him. "Sounds like a good place then."


	4. Chapter Four

_I have not forgotten about this story! Its just been giving me a major hassle! Whenever I finally found some time to sit down and work on it, it would refuse to lend me any creative thoughts. Fortunately it has now-does a small victory dance-so you can expect more to come after this. I have a bunch of final projects to finish and a graduation to plan, however, so I'm not quite sure when it will be out._

_Thank you for putting up with me once again!_

* * *

On the day that Ron was suppose to arrive along with his family, the Burrow was a flurry of activity. Mrs. Weasley had been in the kitchen since the crack of dawn, preparing a virtual feast. However, this meant that she couldn't take care of preparing the rest of the house for the arrival of her son's family, so she sent Hermione and Ginny off to take care of those tasks almost as soon as the other two women had arrived.

The men stood a few steps away from the entrance to the kitchen, watching in amusement as their wives scurried around to make everything appear perfect, although they knew better than to voice their humor unless they wanted three agitated, and slightly threatening, women set on them.

The children managed to escape from the mayhem, and the possibility of being forced into chores, by remaining in the living room. Lily settled down on Hugo's lap, content to flip through her favorite book of Muggle fairy tales as the older children discussed what their cousins would be like.

James was lounging sideways in one of the armchairs, his legs dangling over one of the arm rests. "I don't really care what they're like," He said, "just as long as they're not a bunch of rich snobs."

"I doubt they'll be that bad," Teddy said. "Uncle Ron never would have allowed his children to turn into spoiled brats." Since he had just been turning three around the time that Ron left, he was the only one out of the children that could remember their lost uncle, even if his memories were a tad foggy. He could remember a gentle voice, although not all of the words that it spoke to him, and a large hand giving his hair a fond ruffle.

When he was a child he would sometimes stare at the pictures he found with his uncle in them and recalled the memories he had of Ron, trying to summon the man's face into view, but he had never been able to manage anything more than a few features before the entire thing slipped out of view.

"Yeah, but their dad is Malfoy," James said.

Albus turned towards his brother with a frown. "What difference does that make?" He asked.

James threw his hands up into the air in what appeared to be exasperation. "Oh, come on, Al!" he said. "Don't you remember what he was like in the stories that Dad told us about when he was at Hogwarts? Even _Uncle Viktor _doesn't seem to like him."

"He can't be that bad," Albus said. "I don't think that Uncle Ron would have married him if he was such a git. And besides, didn't he act as a spy during the war? I'd say that's quite something, daring to risk his neck like that when he could have just followed after Voldemort with the rest of the purebloods." He couldn't hold back the smug grin that slid onto his face when he saw that he had managed to stump his brother.

James scowled back at Albus, crossing his arms over his chest. "I guess that is pretty brave," He grumbled.

"Indeed," Hugo said. "It would probably be a good idea to reserve your judgment of him until you actually _meet_ him."

"I think that will be happening pretty soon," Ronnie said. "If sounds coming from out there are any estimate." He pointed towards the hallway that lay beyond the entrance of the living room where loud, happy cries could be heard.

James swung his legs back to hit the ground and pushed off the armchair with a sigh. "Well, I guess its time to go face the music then."

* * *

Ron had expected his extended family to be as excited as his children were about this day, but he was still taken aback by the noise that erupted when he opened the door. He noticed how Severus tensed up at the unexpected outburst and the wary look in his eyes as he took in the ecstatic expressions on their faces. He had known that this experience wouldn't be an easy one for Severus, given his withdrawn nature, and he was sure that the loud greeting had done nothing to soothe his son's nerves. He placed his hand on Severus's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, glad when he felt the boy relax slightly.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Molly asked.

Ron was about to do as his mother requested when Annie strode forward and took care of it for him.

"I'm Annie," She announced, pointing to herself with a small finger, "and I'm seven which means I'm a big girl now." She looked back over her shoulder, pointing towards each of her sibling as she spoke their name. "That's Severus and Scorpius. They're twins, even though they don't look the same, and both of them are fifteen, but Severus is a few minutes older. And that's Gabrielle—she's thirteen." She turned back around with a large smile. "And I already know how you are."

"Do you now?" Arthur asked, unable to withhold a smile of his own.

"Of course!" Annie said. "Mum told us all about you!" She looked around at the group assembled before her, frowning in confusion when she realized that something was missing. "I thought we had cousins too. Are we not going to see them today?"

"Oh, no there here," Harry said. "They're just hiding out in the living room to get out of doing chores."

"Hey, we weren't hiding!"


End file.
